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The present research was initiated with the dual aim to investigate the use of WebQuest as a platform for designing language projects and evaluate the effectiveness of the tool in relation to its influence on the dispositions of primary education students who read English texts online for educational purposes.
For this reason, a WebQuest titled “Christmas without borders” was developed by the researchers and in total 40 sixth grade students at a primary school in Thessaloniki, Greece participated in the teaching intervention which lasted ten teaching hours.
Small scale action research was conducted employing both quantitative and qualitative research tools with the aim to identify whether the use of webquests develops positive feelings and dispositions concerning the on line reading of texts in the English language. More specifically, the following data-collection instruments were used: a) questionnaires, using a three-point Likert scale, completed by each participant before and after the teaching intervention, b) two stimulated recalls; one immediately after the learners had read the texts on the internet in order to collect information, and another one at the end of the project.
The data from this action research revealed that using WebQuests in combination with teaching procedures in the foreign language classroom can be promising in having a positive influence on the learners’ dispositions towards online reading, verifying their potential to bring optimal outcomes and facilitate learning the target language within the framework of blended learning.
Based on the positive results of the study, the pedagogical implications to be drawn are that EFL teachers in primary schools should be encouraged to use WebQuest applications in their classrooms while the Ministry of Education should also consider promoting the use of this instructional tool in primary education contexts.
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In-Text Citation: (Makrogiorgou & Chostelidou, 2014)
To Cite this Article: Makrogiorgou, G., & Chostelidou, D. (2014). Reading English Texts on Line: Identifying the Dispositions of 6th Graders using Webquest. Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2(1), 84–96.
Copyright: © 2014 The Author(s)
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